Thursday, March 26, 2009

Social structures are established all the time, a reason why social networking through the Internet has become so popular. This is also one of the reasons we are now present in the biggest social networks existing on the web. Facebook and Twitter will now hold accounts for Voice123, and we will be sharing all of our updates and news with you, as well as some interesting content for you to follow. Find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Also, remember you can always share with friends and colleagues the content you find useful in our website, simply use the 'Bookmark' button located on each page:

Choose the 'sharing service' you use or the email button, and spread those articles that capture your attention. Someone you know could find it very useful, please give it a try!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Johnna Gottlieb is teaching a new online course this spring for UCLA, “How to Become a Successful Voice Over Artist”. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn about the business of voice overs, all you need is a computer! Enrollment is now open and there is still space available. The first class is Tuesday, April 9th. Here is a description of the class:

"Talent and technique are just starting points in the voice over business. In this course, participants learn the essentials for developing a career and succeeding in this exciting and lucrative field. Topics include developing a marketing strategy, the different categories of voice overs and their rates of pay, standards for a competitive voice over reel, signing with the right agency, and understanding contracts. Instruction also covers the future of Internet casting, unions that govern voice over work and how to become a member, union vs. non-union work, the use of celebrities and the impact they have on the industry, and the basics of creating your own home studio. Guests will include top voice over talent, agents, casting directors, and producers."

Please don’t hesitate to contact Johnna at Johnna@jogoco.com with questions! Ms. Gottlieb writes, "I am really excited about this class. I have been teaching “live” at NYU for four years, but teaching online gives people the flexibility to learn within their own schedule. Plus, people all over the world can enroll. I actually have someone who signed up who lives in Paris!"

As a former agent, Ms Gottlieb has represented top voice over talent, such as James Earl Jones, Jason Alexander, Stockard Channing, Philip Bosco and Blythe Danner, and has provided talent to top broadcasting companies including ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, The Discovery Channel, HBO, TNT and Fox. She is also a judge for the Daytime Emmy's “Outstanding Performer in Animation” Category.

Voice123 thanks Johnna Gottlieb for contacting us! In the coming weeks, we will be sharing with you information about great classes offered by friends, affiliates, and coaches of Voice123!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

I was talking to a talent in Live Chat this week, and was >asked the question, "How do you know what jobs are best to be selective with?". What I told this talent should be shared with everyone. I firmly believe from the script and project description alone, you are able to see the education, and experience level of your potential employer, if you read 'between the lines'. Taking a look back, one of the things I once did when I started at Voice123 was making projects look comprehensive. This was a mistake. I found out all I was doing was imposing my experience, and education on the project, but not that of the actual voice seeker.

Think of it this way, 'The way we write says a great deal about what we know and how we think, professionally.' If you see something written in a project description, and/or a script, that raises an eyebrow, chances are you just may know more than you think about the seeker behind the job posting. I have found that incorrect selected project parameters do not show seeker inexperience. It may very well be human error while using the Voice123 project posting form, which leads many times to projects being replaced.

I recommend to try this the next time you read the project details. Refer to the script provided, and the project description. Ask yourself these questions:

Does this project description appear professionally written, and thorough?

Can I professionally identify with the way he/she writes, and the references used?

Is the script poorly spelled, as well as, the project description?

Did the seeker write in capital letters, or use negative descriptions to get his/her point across?

How many people is this person directly inviting vs. How many have they requested using SmartCast, and how many projects have they posted?

Here is why I tell you those questions are important:

A project description not well-written, or thorough, may indicate someone is using the system for the first time, they are rushing, or they may not know what they want. The longer you work in this industry, the easier it is to know what to say to get what you need.

The way a person writes, and the formal tones he/she uses, lets you know where a person may be from. Reading a description that triggers the inner voice, 'I know where this guy is coming from', is a good sign.

A person who writes in a negative tone to get what he/she wants is actually displaying experience of some sort. This is a good thing because the person is telling you, 'I have heard auditions before, and I need something else.' There is a backdoor to opportunity in cases like this, BUT it does tell you that the seeker may have less patience than others.

If a person requests SmartCast, and directly invites an equal amount of people, and has never posted a project before, you may be dealing with a 'talent search' more than a direct opportunity.

A final word about 'budgets', as I know that is a concern for everyone:

The Internet online casting world is young. Working online involves a great deal of trust in someone or something you cannot see. This is why online companies do 'trial services'. I say this because, if you see that a script is professional, and so is the description, you may be dealing with a person who can turn into a long-time client, and that very budget you see is more of a 'guess-timate'. Once they get to know you, the job could turn into something much bigger. As well, working online internationally means dealing sometimes with what a buyer can afford in his/her country.

The key to all of this:

When in doubt, refer back to the way the person writes a description and script.

Above all, I would like to close by saying, 'No rule is absolute.'

For example, viral videos and social networking have become huge opportunities for exposure, compared to when I started when jobs posted for videos going straight to YouTube, usually meant it was a college student experimenting.Times change and there is an exception to every rule, but the exceptions are not the rules.

The more you know, the better you can make educated decisions that work most of the time. If you would like to ask me more about this topic, post a thread about it on Voice123 Premium Forums.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

In recent weeks, Voice123 has received a few inquiries about the 'demo tagging' experiment, started last June 2008. We would like to share with you some updates:

The demo tagging experiment is still going. We have the actual data from the demo tags, and we thank those who have been participating. If you have not done so, tagging demos is still possible. You can read how that works in a previous posting.

This actual data will be used in the upcoming brand new search feature, which we are planning to release very soon. At that time, you will have the option to remove tags you dislike.

Also, by tagging other talents' demos, you are eligible to win one of five free one-year Premium Subscriptions! We will officially announce the winners in April.

On a different topic, a couple of weeks ago Voice123 posted a forum thread about War Stories from one's first year in the business. Please take a look and add your own! We hope you enjoy, and maybe post some other topics of your own.

Recently, I had posted a couple of projects for a producer in Los Angeles. She used the Voice123 ranking system, as the client. I believe sharing with you how I instructed her how to use it efficiently will better help those who post work on Voice123.

After you post a project on Voice123, and check your audition inbox. A screen comes up in front of you mentioning a 'ranking system'. Next to each audition, you see the following choices:

Likely Hiring

Considering

Maybe

Not likely

Won't be considered at all

Here is an example of how I see it can be most effectively used:

4 Stars, Likely Hiring: Use this only if you talents in final consideration for your project, most likely after you have spoken with the client, and they have made their decisions.

3 Stars, Considering: Use this one to indicate those who you are seriously considering to be hired. Now, if you do not use them, there is no need to change to a lower ranking, simply because not everyone you want to hire is available, so you want to keep fresh in your mind, what your favorite auditions were.

2 Stars, Maybe: This one can be used when there is something you like about the audition, and want to still consider it, but it was not exactly what you were thinking of at the time. Sometimes, a talent will do something creative that makes a client think in the other direction.

1 Star, Not Likely: If the audition is completely off the mark for what you were expecting, and/or the submission led you to believe this person is not up for the job at all.

0 Stars, Won't Be Considered: Unfortunately, this happens. This is a good to use when there are submissions that offer no consideration whatsoever, due to the recording quality, and copy reading. If you enjoyed the copy reading and recording quality, but the client said, 'No thanks.', but you felt you want to hold onto the voice, do not use this ranking.

Important note: The rankings can be changed at anytime, so if you hire someone for a project using SmartCast, and you have not ranked them yet, it is helpful for the Voice123 talent community to use 'Likely Hiring'. If you need help using the ranking system, you can always contact us at customer service for assistance and we would be glad to help you! Finally, the ranking system is not used for private projects, in which you as a voice seeker, chose to invite talents directly from the search feature.

The ranking system is also very helpful when using the shared inbox because you can send auditions to a client in the order by which you have ranked them, as the person posting the job, or even doing the hiring. Try this for yourself, and see how easy it is, and find some great talent in the process.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

This information has been generously provided by Voice123 Talent, and American Women in Radio & TV Team Member , Rita Pardue, regarding a very serious topic that has affected almost everyone.

Voice123 is proud to assist in anyway possible, especially myself, the son of a breast cancer survivor.

"My mom is a survivor in the truest sense. Recently the Midwest was hard hit by the worst ice storm in many years. It wiped out power grids in portions of Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Arkansas governor declared a state of emergency. My mom lives in a small town called Bull Shoals, Arkansas. She and her neighbors were without power for at least 10 days. My mom was taken by neighbors to a local shelter. During her stay at the shelter, there was a flu epidemic and the facility was quarantined. As Mom stood up to reach for her medication, she fell and hit her head. Quick-thinking shelter mates, called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Recovering from her fall and dehydration, my two able brothers set out in their cars from Florida and California respectively. The hurricane-experienced brother from Florida came packing emergency supplies and food. The California brother brought backbone and moral support. My role—my hurricane-experienced brother stated that in an emergency, a person should only enter a disaster area in a self-sufficient manner, not a liability. I stayed behind wanting to help in some way.

As a media person, my way to help is by telling the story. I am grateful to my brothers for rallying to meet the need of helping our mother. I am grateful to the shelter volunteers, hospital staff and hard-working power crews who restored electricity to the area. Mom is back home and re-thinking her future plans to continue living in a beautiful, but isolated area.

In her honor, I am running in the up-coming Susan G. Komen 'Race for the Cure 2009', on March 15th, 2009. Please join in my support to honor, my mom, a breast cancer survivor who continues to survive no matter what life tosses her way."

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Voice123 has partnered with the creators of Source Connect to offer Voice123 Premium Subscribers a great recording tool at a discounted price!

Voice123 and Source Elements has worked out a deal to offer an exclusive opportunity for Voice123 Premium Subscribers. To learn more about joining the Group Buy of Source-Connect, please contact Voice123's Customer Support.

Source-Connect is the most affordable and widely used IP codec on the market today. As a stand-alone application or as a plug-in for your favorite DAW, Source-Connect is used daily by professionals like Joe Cipriano. Source-Connect makes it easy to do real-time remote voice sessions with your clients. With broadcast quality audio and the ability to bridge to ISDN via EdNet, Digifon and many other bridge providers, Source-Connect will open your market up and allow greater flexibility for your sessions and clients.

Save as much as $200 on Source-Connect by joining this group buy. Spread the word! The more Premium Subscribers that join in, the closer we all are to the possible savings of $200. This group buy is limited to 200 members only and only available until the end of March. One purchase per member. Source-Connect is regularly priced at $395.

If you are not Premium Subscriber yet and want to learn about this and all the benefits of becoming Premium, take a look at this link.